


Redamancy| Levi x reader

by Agustdsgrl



Category: Attack on Titan, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Anger, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Original Character(s), POV Female Character, Pet Names, Relationship(s), Teasing, Underground Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:20:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29576016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agustdsgrl/pseuds/Agustdsgrl
Summary: I guess you’ll see if you read it 👁👁(This is kind of a slow burn story that includes ideas that are not shown in the manga nor the anime)
Relationships: Levi Ackerman & Original Female Character(s), Levi Ackerman & Reader, Levi Ackerman/Reader
Kudos: 4
Collections: Attack on Titan





	1. Chapter 1

My arms were wrapped around my sister's head and the room around us was dark. Several screams echoed through the thin-walled building, but all I could do was try to stay discrete and keep my sister safe in my arms. She and I sobbed quietly as the screams turned into mumbles, and silence overcame the darkness. 

We waited longer to make sure no one was outside, and as the lights started to dim from the dusty windows, and small chatter littered the surroundings I let go of my sister's head in my arms. Checking the windows to make sure that they weren't there anymore. "They're gone." I whisper and she came to the windowsill with me to see. "But doesn't that mean that mommy and daddy are dead?" I quiver at her words, but soon came down to kneel at her height. "Yes... mommy and daddy are dead, Anarah." I sigh and turn my head to the other direction, so I couldn't see her weeping. Her eyes brimmed with more tears, and her skin was covered in dark dust. "I'm sorry, Anarah, but there was nothing we could have done... let's get yourself cleaned up before you get sick." I try to calm down her tears by wrapping my arms around her small torso. 

Carrying her to the the small tub in the home. Tears dared to spill onto my cheeks and all I could do was breath shakily. "I thought bad things only happen to bad people, (y/n), not innocent people that cause no harm!" She bellowed "calm down, Anarah, what if people hear?" She huffed into the dirtied water, and I sponged her back with soap. "Sometimes even good people need to go through certain challenges in life to become tough. The world doesn't actually have a heart, and as humans we must all understand that. Now show me your face, so I could rub that dirt off of you." Her face scrunched in sadness at my statement. "Maybe if you grow to learn our circumstances, you'll become tough and will be able to face the real world." I say with a small sense of comfort in my voice. "Where will you go, (y/n)?" She looks into my eyes "I'll stay here and take care of my baby sister, of course!" A small smile appeared onto my face "but I want you to grow up tough too! What if we find some way out of this place and live up there with everyone else. And what if we get to see the sun for the first time, and visit all the cool fruit stands! And play what the upstairs kids are playing!" My eyes turn into a smile at her enthusiasm, but deep down I knew that it was about impossible to be able to come up to the surface. We were meant to be locked under the grounds, and it's not like anyone is willing to save us.   
~5 years later~  
I returned home with a few food items and some firewood. My sister and I had to start stealing to be able to afford any food, so we had a small competition of who would make it home with the most valuable supplies. I arrived home first, so I guessed that Anarah was still looking for supplies. A snicker left my throat knowing that I probably already won this challenge. The food that I stole would last us at least three days, and the firewood will make sure that we don't freeze at night. 

I warmed water on the fire, and prepared some tea for the both of us. Huddling near the small warmth. I started to get worried with the amount of time Anarah was taking. Where could she have gone? That was when I heard a rumble of footsteps at the thin, wooden door. I sighed because I knew that it would be her, and that was confirmed when she busted through the door covered in sweat.

In her arms there were two heavy-looking metal contraptions. I couldn't think of what that was, so I had to ask, "Anarah, what even is that?" "I'm pretty sure it's the gear that those officers use up there." She replies, her eyes grew in excitement and curiosity. "Well, how did you even get? A officer can't just leave their gear!" I told confused of how she hadn't got caught by another person. "Okay, there was some dude tryna chase me. But I ran quicker than him, so I brought it home." She held the fastenings in her hands, and gleamed at them intriguingly. All I could do was stand and stare. My mouth was open agape and I had nothing to say. Whether this was a smart move, or if this was horrendous. "How do you even plan on using these, Anarah? Are we gonna sell it?" I question, "No, I think we can use it!" She replies "We don't even know how to use it!" I countered "Then we'll learn, (y/n)!" She looks up from the heavy material. "Fine." Was all I could say. Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing. Maybe this will help us get food on the table each night. 

That night we made a small stew for just the two of us. It was quite bland because we didn't have the money for seasonings, but we ate it happily at the small wooden table. Which was most definitely crumbling at this point. It was a bit quiet before Anarah said anything, "I wonder what mom and dad would feel like right now if they saw us." I looked up from the small bowl, "what do you mean?" She sets her spoon down to bring her more attention, "I mean, I wonder if they feel bad..." I set my elbows on the low table, "I think mom and dad would be proud of us." She looked perplexed, "really?" My chest breathed a sigh, and I looked at her body in the little darkness. "Yeah, they probably thought we were dead about five years ago, but we are here feeding ourselves and fighting to stay alive." I try to brighten the girl's sadness. "I guess you're right. Maybe mom and dad are proud of us, and maybe their watching us right now from what ever they call it up there!" My face formed a confused look, and I spoke again "do you mean Heaven?" "Yeah! Heaven... it has a nice ring to it." She said astonished by the discovery of 'Heaven'. I continued to spoon the bland soup into my mouth while she talked about her scenarios. 

Though it had been unfortunate, our lives, it's felt oddly satisfying these few months. I had a little trouble finding a place to work, but a small restaurant had been offering jobs. With my case, I gladly took it and of course if I worked the job my sister did as well. 

The both of us earned decent money, and we had enough money to afford dinner each night. However we wanted a bit of thrill in our lives, and when we had the mechanic gear it felt right to see if there were more people willing to steal with us. Even though my sister and I weren't able to steal ourselves we found almost an 'agency' willing to see our skills. After stealing for over seven years it was evident that we could qualify, and it made the two of us happy that we could have something together other than our job. 

~2 more years later~  
It all started with simple stealing, and for my sister that was all it was. However for me, there was more, I had to kill other people. When our boss first told me about it, I was surprised and I didn't know how to react. But it had to be done, and it didn't seem that I would be killing innocent people, so it made me a bit calmer. 

In the night men 'rich' men would visit prostitutes, and when they did many would go through a back alleyway to not be seen by commoners. When the lights turned on in the building they came out like moths, which made it easy to trap them. I had to be fast and I couldn't simply stab them. The bodies had to go somewhere, but I didn't know where to put them. At the young age of 17 I had to burry bodies near the deep lakes, and sewage systems. I had to come up with lies, fibs that caused Anarah to question me at night. But I didn't have time to waste. 

As you kill more and more people, you start to see how each and every one of them were quite similar. They all ranged in their 40's to 60's, they all wore that cocky grin, they all thought that woman would crawl for them. They thought they were superior, so it was imaginable that when it was time for their demise I didn't take it lightly. Many hours were spent cleaning the blood of brick walls, and shoveling dirt to burry the bodies. However even though I was mad I never desired to kill. The only reason I was, was because someone told me I had to. And without covering it up, they'd told me that if I didn't then my house would be burned, my sister would be taken away, or I'll be killed. 

It wasn't worth my while killing the same people, but I had to there was no choice for me. 

~present day~  
The floors were cold and the ceiling seemed to be dripping again. I sighed deeply as I came out of sleep to go fix the problem. As the months got rainy, the grounds absorbed more and more of the pessimist liquids, which followed their ways into weak wood ceilings. Mildew and bacteria would form, and living in such small place we couldn't afford to get sick.

Anarah groaned as she came up from the cold ground, "Ah, the ceilings again?!" I huffed as I walked over to the buckets and towels to wipe away the residual. Today the two of us had to be off of work because of the pipes breaking, so we planned on using the 3dm gear to practice jumping in the higher atmosphere. Surprisingly, we were able to find gas to fill the tanks which made it easier for us to use them often. We ate a small breakfast, and got dressed into 'newer' clothes.

"Are you ready, Anarah?!" I spoke excited to use the gear. "You have no idea!" She replied and with that we took both the contraptions. The two of us ran into a secluded space where both of us could practice without disturbances. We already got used to the weight because of how often the both of us trained with the material, but I wanted to learn how to jump and grip onto the walls. Anarah went first and to be honest she was quite good at the entire flying aspect. She thought the feeling she got in her stomach was exhilarating, but the first time I used it I had to vomit. It took a while to get used to the feeling of gravity not taking over in like two seconds. Though it made me nervous I attempted the jumps more and more, which made me start to have the feeling that Anarah felt. Exhilarating. 

After about thirty minutes or so we went to one of the roofs of a home, and brought the wiring to target another house. This went on for about twenty minutes before I stopped into the ground. I was giddy and had a bright smile on my face however Anarah has quite the opposite. "Anarah, what is it?" She hushed right after I said my words and shoved me into a dark alley between two buildings. "What was that for?" I whisper screamed and she looked into my eyes. "I think there are military police out there." My eyes grew of shock, but we had to think quick before one of us got caught. "Okay, since you're good with the gear you'll fly in the dark secluded areas, so they won't be able to see you. And they probably wouldn't hear you either because from what I can hear there are other people flying. They'll think you're one of them, and since I'm better at running, I'll try my best to be as fast as possible at the side of the roads." She nodded in understanding, "alright on my count. 1...2...3 go!" From there I sprinted as fast as I could into the dark shadows of the buildings, and Anarah glided against the tall stone buildings. I was making my way, and at a point I was convinced that they were gone. Until I stopped and saw that I girl was running at my shadow. Fuck! I cursed under my breath and continued to run before I man flying at me. I was cornered and I didn't know what to do. There was a possible way through the corners, but before I could even look there were dark schemes flying through the cracks. I was trapped and didn't know what to do other than surrender. Putting my hands up to show that I mean now I harm I felt as one of them caught the two wrists and put them into ropes. In the distance I could see my poor sister, watching the scene unravel, and all I wanted to do was cover her eye. But of course I couldn't do that because of my situation. Something about her seemed like she trusted me. Like she knew that I would be okay. Her eyes still had that glimmer even in the dark. She shook a smile onto her emotionless face. I gave up. I gave up on my one true hope. I couldn't save her now. I had to be taken far far away from her, and I didn't know how to feel. I couldn't show any emotion or direction to Anarah because they'll be able to see and catch her two. I didn't want that. I wanted my sister to be safe, and something in me trusted that she would be safe. I sighed heavily and let the menacing guards take me away.


	2. Chapter 2

The military police had my hands tied with rope, and mouth covered with a rag. My eyes were filled with tears, but I stood silent as to not get more mistreatment. They dragged me into what looked like a carriage because I heard neighing at the front. I quit at trying to form words, or scream because there was no use. My veins were flooded with adrenaline that sought to come out, but sadly had no use. It made it more distracting only worrying about the fact that I was captured away from my sister. I closed my eyes for a moment longing for rest, and when the rest of the world closed in that moment I heard a voice. "(Y/N)! wake up you need to get out of there! Remember they are just ropes! Ropes I say! You know how to break from them!" I came almost startled from that voice. I didn't know what it was. Was it myself? Was it someone else? Who was it? All I knew was that they were a female. A new adrenaline ached through my veins, and before I knew it I broke the doors of the wooden carriage. The gag was still lying in my mouth, but there was no time to remove it. I ran as fast as I could to near by trees. Sprinting to hide in the covered forest. My feet treaded frantically with a single tear flying into the atmosphere. Finally there was a stop, behind a tree, I sat with my wrists upon my knees. It was clear that the ropes formed marks, but there had to be a strong pull to take them off. A deep breath left the tight lungs, and I pushed away from the air between the tight rope. The rope made an unsatisfying noise as they rubbed tightly against the other fibers, and then a snap. My arms were thrown to each side from the immense force, and a hearty laugh signaled relief. Except now the ropes were the least of my concerns. I had to find shelter and some sort of food. How was I going to do that? I don't know but there was hope that maybe if those feet tread longer then there will be people. It didn't seem like we were outside of the walls, thank goodness, so there must have been a house somewhere that could offer a small bit of help. Before getting up I had to give myself a small pep talk to make sure that I'd get through this okay because I had no resource that could tell me that everything was going to be okay. My emotions were all so over the place, an I had no choice but to try and stay calm. There I was running once more until there was clearer light to indicate that the trees were gone. It toke a while to the point where I had to make myself company. "Oh how are you doing today, (y/n)?" "Probably just the same as you (y/n)." "Oh yeah I forgot we were the same person!" I'd sheepishly laugh at my own dumb jokes until the thoughts of Anarah start to come in. How will she be? Is she safe? What if others found her? What if she's kidnapped?   
"Don't worry!" I immediately stopped. What was that? "Hello?!" "Is there someone here?!" I yelled as much as I could, but the dehydration parched my throat. I chose to shake it off and continue running. There we go! There was pink light at the end of the trees telling me that the trees stopped here, and it was even more fortunate because there were a group of homes in the vicinity. I knocked at the first door, and then came a woman from the door. Her hair was dark and was put into a low ponytail. Her eyes shined a warm brown color, and she wore a dark red long skirt with a cream colored blouse. "Um, hello young... lady?" At this point I forgot that I'd probably look like a roughed up twelve year old, so I had to reassure her that I was in fact just a very malnourished girl. "Ah, yeah I'm a girl. This may seem very suspicious to ask, but is there any chance that you'd have water?" She curved a small smile onto her face and spoke to me once again. "Of course dear. Um is it okay if I give it to you out here? You know... since I still don't know if I could trust you." She let out an awkward giggle, but it made a lot of sense. "Oh yes of course I understand how this may seem weird." I scratch at the back of my head with a sheepish smile. She nods and goes back into her home. I sat at the little staircase, cradling my knees. The door opened again, and she carried both a cup and a pitcher. "Here." She calmly put down the two items on the step next to me, and sat down at the stair on top to face my back. "So what brings you here, young lady?" She smiled once again. I didn't know what to say I had no excuse. She saw that I was fighting the urge to say the truth. "Oh, were you playing with the other kids? That explains the dirt on your feet." She thought I was a kid? I mean no wonder I did look about the right description. "Oh, I'm sorry I'm not a kid." I try to smile back to her. "Really, how old are you?" She asks almost baffled "I'm actually nineteen." A small toothy grin was engraved onto my face. She looked all to surprise. "Ooh, I'm so sorry. I guess I thought you'd be with the cadets right now." She looked away almost embarrassed. "That would make sense. I was thinking that I'd join next year, actually." I blatantly lied. I didn't even know how the entire military regiment worked. "Ah, I see, were your parents not able to pay for the uniform?" "Um, actually I don't have parents." Her look saddened at my statement, and it made me want to reassure her. "Don't worry about me though. I've grown to live without them." "You're quite strong for someone that lives on the surface. I thought those things only happened in the underground. You know with all those thugs." My eyes grew unintentionally, "Oh, yeah, totally. I actually don't know much about the underground... I didn't expect them to be that bad." I gleam back into the dirt in front of me. "Do you want to get washed up sweetie?" She looked at me calmly, again with that smile it was almost infectious. "That would be great. Thank you so much... er..." "Carla. Carla Jeager. And you what's your dear name." I contemplated telling her my real name, and I had to think quick before she suspected me. "I'm Annalise, Annalise... Wood." I only came up with that because of the wood that hung onto her door. "Come inside, Annalise, I'll show your way to the bathroom." She graciously invited me inside her home. "Thank you so much, Carla!" I tried to be as couscous as possible when she let me in making sure to not disturb her peaceful home. "Here, soap and there will be a pail of water. Oh, and there should be a washcloth along side that. Am I missing anything..." She looked concentrated with her finger to her lips. "Nope doesn't seem like it." I'll wait for you out here. I gave her a gentle smile and walked into the bath. The place looked almost luxurious in my eyes. Everything was neat, but polished. There were small glass bottles filled with what seemed to be another type of soap, and there was a large bucket of water. My smile spread throughout my eyes as as long shirt I was wearing had been taken off. With a loose bra whose clasps were coming undone every other minute. I began scrubbing at the diary that covered my bare feet and my face. It had reminded me of the way I'd bathe my sister when she was still six or seven years old. "Now let me scrub your face." I whispered to myself as I did to my sister nine years ago. A single tear ran through the now cleaned face. "I miss you, Anarah." I whispered again hoping Carla couldn't hear anything. My hair was noticeably not well taken care of, so I took the chance to clean it with the warm water and soap. Rubbing at my scalp it felt soothing. Something I hadn't felt since I was so young. Something about right now made me so frustrated, but also seek for new opportunities. Maybe this was a sign that I could begin a life on the surface. I still worry for my sister because I didn't want to leave her. I wanted to speak with her so bad. "I'll be okay." The voice came back. Am I hallucinating? Was that her? Stop, (y/n), you're being irrational right now. 

There was a towel that I used to dry my self and some clothes laid out. Wow, Carla must be a child of the walls, I thought. I was done and I somewhat awkwardly opened the door to look for her. "Annalise, looks like you're done." She said with a child in her arm. I smiled at the cute boy, and she seemed to notice because she spoke, "Oh, I forgot, this is Eren my son." I couldn't help but gush over sweet child, "Awwh, hi Eren!" His big eyes gleamed into mine. A wide smile crossed my face. "Is there any chance you're hungry, Annalise?" Carla said, smiling genuinely. "I wouldn't want to bother you, Carla. You were so kind to me already." I smiled trying to tell her that she's done everything she could. "No, it's my pleasure really! I don't really get a lot of company anyway because my husband has been out for several days." She spoke a little sad, which made me feel convinced. "Oh, alright. I guess I could go for a small meal." I spoke feeling a bit embarrassed.   
-  
The sun had come down and Carla and I had been talking for what felt like an eternity. We laughed and drank tea near a warm fireplace. We talked about her younger years, and working while taking care of others. I told her I had a sister, but not enough to where she would suspect me. The moon showed that it neared around nine o'clock, so I knew that it was almost time for me to go. "Carla, do you think it's time for me to go?" I asked almost dreadfully, "if you'd like you can stay the night. Only if you're comfortable of course." I smiled at her response.   
-  
That was when everything changed. My life started o the surface just because of one night. 

It's been a couple months now, and I'd managed to find a small home near Carla and work, but it seemed that once this semester of military training is over I'd be able to join this year. At home I'd read books about outside the walls and the titans. How the nape was where you had to hit to make sure they were dead, and how their skin burned like hell. The people needed a lot of muscle when it came to flying in such conditions, so when there was time I'd train until I felt as if my legs would fall off. I had been determined to join the survey corps. Aiding them in killing the vicious monsters outside the wall, and finding lead way to discover more of the world. There were oceans, and deserts, and volcanos, and mountains. Only books gave me the vision of these things for now, but if we kill all the titans then maybe we'll have a future. 

The survey corps would have been coming back from their expedition today, which meant that the wall's citizens would be seeing them. The gates started to open, and in came the first batch of soldiers. The blonde commander didn't look happy neither did the soldiers behind him. One of them looked especially down. Levi Ackerman. He was a new addition to the corps, and he had come from the underground as well. He got caught, except instead of running away he joined the soldiers, and decided to fight titans. He didn't show much emotion of course, but the majority of the ride his head was down. My face creased to look a bit sad, but there was nothing I could do of course. It did make me scared about how it may be if I joined, but I still felt determined to be in the survey corps.

Soon enough I was going to join the cadets, and I had to try my best in becoming the best no matter what.


	3. Chapter 3

It was early morning when I had my bag ready with not much supplies other than a few toiletries and day clothes. I was scared but excited at the same time. I would miss Carla and Eren, but time must go on, which meant that I had to leave people that I cared about. 

There were a few people going in the same carriage, so I kept my duffel in my arms. A girl came into the closed space, and sat next to me. "Hey!" She waved and gave me bright smile. That was something I noticed when coming up to the surface. Everybody smiled so much like it was instinct. It was something I had to get used to, but soon came to enjoy the simple crease in my lips. "Are you in here for the military program?" She says with a smile. "Yeah, what about you." I reply "oh, I'm here for the same." I looked down in embarrassment at her reply. Of course she's here for the enlistment. Fucking dumb ass! "Soo my name is Roise, but you can call me Rose. What's your name?" She beamed another wide smile, "My name is Annalise you could just call me...er just Anna is fine." I guess that was gonna be my name up here. I couldn't tell my real name because they'll know who I am, and right now I'm in a stable place so I shouldn't ruin my record. I just didn't know how long this was going to last before someone figures out my real identity. "What do you plan on becoming?" She concentrated on my face, "I want to become a scout. What about you?" I try to keep the conversation going, "Wow really, I want to become a part of the military police, but of course that would only happen if I got top ten." She looked down a bit sad, "I'm sure you'll do great!" I try and reassure her "You think so?" "Yeah, I think so as long as you try your best, right?" She warmly grinned. At this time more people came into the carriage. There was a young girl with red hair and a boy along side her. "Hi, I'm Petra, am I interrupting something." She scratched the back of her head nervously. "No, of course not. We were just introducing ourselves." I smiled as brightly as I could. "Oh, of course this is my brother, Peter (let's pretend as if Petra has a brother)." She pointed at the tired looking man and he waved at the two of us lazily. "I assume you're in here for the military enlistment." Roise pointed out, "Yes, how did you know?" Petra beamed at the gold-haired girl. "Actually the two of us are also here for the same thing." I interject and her face turns to me with her eyes smiling. How long have I been smiling, I thought. "What do you hope you become?" Roise spoke, "I hope to become a scout, and Peter wants to be a part of the military police." Petra pointed again to the lazy boy except it was more indirectly. "Oooh, that's cool, Annalise was also planning to be a part of the scouts." Roise's green eyes perked up to follow Petra's face again.  
-  
The ride was pleasant filled with chatter amongst Petra and Roise. I talked but not as much as them. Roise talked for what seemed like hours, and to be quite frank we were okay with that considering the silent anxiety that was built inside of us. Peter seemed a lot quieter than her sister, and most of the time it seemed as if his red locks were shading his eyes so that he could take a nap. 

"We're here!" Yelled Rose. Peter came up abruptly from his sleep to give the small girl a grimace. He didn't seem to be the most sociable person, I noted. The four of us made our way out of the carriage and viewed the distance of fields and trees. There were already people outside waiting to get to there rooms. Their bags were in their hands, and some of them had faces of regret. The thing about joining the cadets was that no one actually chose to be a cadet. About everyone was forced to become a officer or cadet. I took in the air and walked along with the rest of the group. There was a woman up front. Her face was shallow and her eyes were very droopy. Her shoulders with slouched and her spine had not that great of posture. "Well looks like we've got another round of scumbags joining us this year. The boys dorms are at the left, and the girls dorms are at the right." She pointed each of her arms to each direction, and when I took a good look at it I could see a big wooden cabin on each side. There were hills covering up the sides, which seemed to have more of the same dark colored wood cabins. "Awhh, we're going to have to walk all the way over there?" Roise pouted grumpily. I breathed a chuckle before the administrative figure began speaking again, "Breakfasts start at 6 a.m and dinner starts at 7 p.m. If I see any of you take extra food up to your dorms I will give you a punishment for each time. I'll make it clear that when I do give out punishments that they aren't nice. NOW get your filthy asses to your rooms, and come down at the right time!" She ended with yelling until it seemed like her lungs gave out. We rushed to the dorms, and Roise was already slouched over from walking a few feet. "Dear walls, how have you not gotten tired yet, Aurora?" Her eyes lazily gleamed at me. "I used to run a lot... when I was a kid." I calmly reply even though it was because of the amount of times I'd got chased. Her eyebrows came up and down as a sign of understanding, and we continued our way up to the hill. The cabins must have been labeled through alphabetical order, so I had to look for W. "What does your last name start with?" She looked back at me, as she was confused with where she had to go. "W" I lazily say because of how my eyes were distracted from her. Finally there I saw a w engraved in the wood of a cabin. I remembered how Rose was looking for her cabin, so I internally insured to help, "What's your last name, Rose?" She looks at me confused but soon understands, "Oh yeah, it's Vann." I realized how she would probably be staying with me because of how her name started with V, "That means that you'll be staying with me, alright I'll show you the way to our dorm." I showed a hand motion to indicate her to follow me. She seemed excited, "Wow, I really didn't expect to already make a new friend on my first day... Unless you don't wanna be my friend of course that's fine too." She seemed nervous but I was fine being called her friend so I reassured her that it was alright.  
-  
The dorms had a couple bunk beds and it seemed as if more people would be coming in. I set my bags down and went to the baths to get washed up before dinner. Training was gonna start tomorrow and a lot of people were talking about how harsh the instructor was. It made me nervous, but I was sure that I could succumb. Dinner was quite normal. Nothing interesting happened, and it seemed as just a day for the cadets to get sorted out with the others and their new home. Petra wasn't in the same dorm as us, so we talked at dinner. 

The night took over completely and only the shine of the moon reached throughout the sheer curtains. I laid on the hard mattress and tried to fall into sleep. It was hard, but I kept my eyes closed and soon enough sleep overtook me.<

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was kinda short. I had a lot of school work lol. Also I feel like I have to make a lot of fake characters because this time period is before the colossal titan attack and Eren and them all joining the scouts.


	4. Chapter 4

My sleep was interrupted by Roise, but if she hadn't woke me I'd probably be late for a very important day. Breakfast was boring consisting of a loaf and porridge, but we got to see Petra and meet a couple other people. However, I was dreading the main part of today. People around town said how Shadis was a very 'literal' instructor and I was nervous to find out about the extent of this. I had no choice though, so I quickly put on my new uniform and walked with Roise to go to the training grounds. 

"Soo, did you hear about how harsh the instructor is?" She asked trying to bring up a conversation. "You knew about that too? Yeah, I'm kinda nervous to see him, but I mean what could we do, right?" I reply, bringing my shoulders up and down. "What do you think the titans even look like? You know cause technically 'we' haven't seen them in person." She looked at me with a sign of confusion in her sun-kissed features. "Honestly, I feel like they look just like us except like uglier and smellier." My face grew into a hint of disgust thinking about them. "Now that I think about it, when the blood splatters on you wouldn't sting?" She pointed a finger up to her lips, looking as if she was in deep thought. "Eek!" I exclaim, wincing at the vision of burning blood on my skin.   
-  
The rest of the cadets were lined up by the instructor, and were yelled at to introduce themselves. My hands started to become clammy, and I felt a bead of sweat crossing my forehead. He was getting closer to where I was, and it was most obviously confirmed that he scared the living shit out of me. The man himself was tall, tan, and had dark under eye bags. 'What have I gotten myself into?' was all I could think. 

Closer.

Closer.

Closer.

And there he was standing right in front of me with the same 'despised' look he gave everyone else. A small spark of confidence tried to rush through my veins, and before I knew it, "State your name, Cadet! You look like the perfect meal for a titan! Now, what are going to do about that?!" He yelled to where I could feel his spit linger in the dusty air. 

"My name is Annalise Wood, Sir! And I plan on killing as many titans as I can before I become their meal!" 

He let out a deep chuckle, which gave a shiver down my spine. His laugh was dark and had a combination of humor and distaste. I tried to keep a straight face even though my heart was trying to beat out my chest. 

"Do you guys hear that?! This girl already knows she'll become titan food! Well I sure will be excited to prepare this meal!" 

He hysterically laughed and tried to contain it as he moved onto the person next to me. Still then he held a snicker in the back of his throat. I felt heat in my cheeks and ears. There was no chance for me to swallow because the atmosphere was too dry. I didn't know whether to feel proud at his hopefully back-handed compliment, or to feel ridiculous in front of the other cadets. I was in my own head thinking of all the ways I could have made this right, but there was no going back and there's probably more criticism coming. What is the point of being afraid of this one minor implication. 

He yelled again at the front of all the cadets. Bringing me out of my daze, and back to the cruel reality. "Today, there is not much to be done. Other than discussing how the 3dm gear will work, and how to balance on it. Tomorrow, you will tested on a contraption that will tell us how well you scumbags will balance in the air." 

I huffed because of my stupidity. I had completely forgotten that we had to use 3dm gear in work other than fun and escaping stupid old men. There was a thought at the back of my brain that told me that they would become suspicious of how I might be able to balance on the said contraption, but then again there was another thought that told me that other people probably will have good luck and balance perfectly. If that made sense. I was still trying to work out the kinks of my thoughts, but caught caught into the bald-headed instructor's words. "You are dismissed! Take your smelly asses back to your cabins!" 

I began to walk and faced the dirt-ground before I heard familiar foot steps walk towards me. "He doesn't have to yell insults after every word he says. I mean what is he trying to do, fill up a word count?" Rose spoke, a small confused look smeared on her tanned features. I giggled before we started another conversation.   
-  
"And then, that was when I found out that he put a frog in my tote instead of bread, and you already know what happened!" Roise pointed her finger up in front of her, "What happened?" I gleamed with a smile, looking at the way she obviously got pissed by the story. "I of course beat her sorry ass up." She huffed and crossed her arms, "He obviously knew that I hated frogs. As if crying whenever I saw them didn't help!" She exclaimed letting out another 'humph' 

Hearing her talking about her brother made me miss my sister. I just wished that she was either dead, or caught by some of those evil men. I'd never forgive myself. Maybe she was living well, though. Maybe she has a family. The girl could have done so much in the span of a year, but I wasn't there to see her. I couldn't even try because I wasn't of any ranking, and if I did I had no purpose searching the underground for her. It made me irritated the way I'll have no way to see her or hear her. 

"Helloooo?" Rose waved her hand at my face. "Are you good, Annalise?" She looked a little worried, "Oh, don't worry. I was just getting a little sleepy is all." I tried to make the situation a little less awkward. "Ah, alright that makes sense. Now that you say that I feel kinda tired too." She age the last piece of bread and lend her hand out for me to grab. "Oof!" I give an exasperated sigh. "Sorry, I totally forgot my own strength." She apologized and I simply smiled while walking next to her.

"Rosie?" She looked at me a little shocked and a tint of pink faded through the rather dark skin. "Yeah." She smiled "why do want to become a part of military police?" I ask looking at the ground. "Eh? Um I don't know. I guess I just want to stay safe inside the walls." She shrugged her shoulders, "Why?" 

"Don't you think there's bad things in the walls too?" I ask not really realizing what was coming out my mouth. "Huh, I've never thought of it like that."  
She scratched at the back of her head. "Jeez! You must have a lot of thoughts run in that brain of yours." She booped a finger at my head which made me give out a giggle.  
-  
It was finally time for all of the cadets to go get some sleep, so the two of us arrived at our cabin. A night no different than others, my mind was filled with questions and thoughts that never seemed to let me sleep. There was a lot of tossing and turning, which made it even harder to keep my body rested. I let out a huff as my back finally hit the mattress one last time.   
\-   
It was all so dark, my eyes sagged, drowsy, but I didn't feel an ink of tiredness. 

"(Y/N)?" 

"Are you awake?"

"Well, obviously you're asleep, but can you hear me?" 

I was still laying down and my hands were still rested on my chest. What's happing to me? I thought. There was a sensation running through my faint body. However there was no way to describe it. Who is that? Why are they calling me? How do they know my name? I haven't told anyone my name since I even came up here. My eyes peeled themselves open, and my hands tried their hardest to push my body up. The surroundings were that of a field covered with praises of flowers. "Wow!" My mouth shaped an 'O' shape in awe of the setting. "You're awake!" The voice surprised me, causing my heart to jump almost out of its cage. "It's me, Anarah!" I immediately hugged her. "This can't be real! It isn't real! How am I here?" Tears dripped unwillingly. "I found out about something ever since you left." She exclaims "I think we are connected, and not in the weird cheesy way. I mean I think we share some sort of mental connection." Her hands moved along her words. "Do you mean telepathy?" My eyebrows crinkled "Yeah! Telepathy. I guess I concentrated that energy to bring you here." She looked into my eyes 

"So this isn't a dream?" A questioning look glazed my features. "No, it's like an alternate reality? I guess, I don't really know. I mean it's not like they taught us this in school." She scratched at the back of her head. "You know I'm gonna need time to believe this, right?" I tilted my head. "Yeah I know, but I mean at least we can see each other this way, right?" She smiled. It made me happy that I could finally see her again after eight months of being away. "Yeah." I slightly grin "speaking of, what have they done to you... the military police." I remembered again how I even got here, "Oh, I escaped and now I'm training to become a scout!" I gleamed, "Wait, really? So my message got to you?" Her eyes widened, "that was you?" My eyes did the same. "Yeah"

The rest of the time we had, I told her about how I even escaped. And how I met Carla and her baby. She told me how she moved out of the small home we had and how she was interested in this new guy. I made jokes of how I'd beat him up if he did anything wrong to my precious sister. There was more conversation about people's we'd met after I was gone, and about Roise and Petra. It felt like an eternity just talking about God knows what, but I was personally fine with it. There wasn't a chance that I wanted to wake up and face the world without her. How could I? However, sleep was only so short and it wasn't as if I could work time into my own. "I don't know if I can see you again though. You know, in your dreams? It toke a lot of energy this one time, but maybe if I do find a way, we can both learn more and more about this, and how to control it!" She smiled a bright, toothy, smile but there was a sense of facade in that one smile. "Yeah, I wanna learn how to control this shit too! I'll try my best at night, but I don't know if I'll have the time every night." My face dropped a tiny bit, but Anarah didn't want to see me sad, so she set a hand onto my should to inflict comfort. "Don't worry (y/n), we'll see each other again no matter what! I'll make it happen some how." Her words came out sincere and I took her word for it. "Alright, I guess I'll see you again too..." "Bye." 

That was it. I was faced again with the darkness of my cabin, Roise snored a tiny bit next to me and I had to laugh at her quiet heaves. "Good night, Anarah." I whispered and made myself comfortable in my bed.


	5. Chapter 5

Today was a day that many of my comrades dreaded, but of course it was only the beginning. Our 3dm gear is probably the most important line of equipment, so it had to be mastered first. Shadis had us line up into a straight row and called for each name in alphabetical order. The grounds were littered with nervous chatter and faces dripping of sweat. However I didn't feel too nervous, considering that I've already known for so long how to control the gear. All there was to be done was a mere facade to distract from my skill. "You don't seem to be too nervous, Anna." Roise squinted her eyes playfully at me. A soft giggle left my silent throat, "I don't know, it just doesn't seem as hard as I thought it would be." My eyes landed on the several comrades flailing in the contraption. "Yeah, totally!" Her hands floated, joining in with the light-hearted sarcasm. I giggled along with her, "Are you scared of it, Rosie?" My eyes glimmered into hers, again in a playful manner. "Eh, I don't know. But what I do know is that it would be very embarrassing if I somehow messed up." She laughed slightly nervous. "Ah, don't worry I'm sure you'll do just fine." I patted her back and smiled again. 

It was time for Roise to go onto the monstrosity of a machine, and before she did a deep breath left her throat. "Alright, Vann, I'm ready to be disappointed again. Climb up." Shadis ordered, making Roise huff and scrunch her nose. The belt holding her waist was strapped on, and her arms were held out to steady herself. Another deep sigh was brought out, and she was slowly being raised. It didn't surprise me how easily she got used to it. "That's my best friend." I snicker quietly because of how the rest of the cadets were watching in awe. As she came up flawlessly a smile came onto her face, but I knew that if she wasn't on the machine that she would have been jumping in ecstasy. 

Shadis' eyes grew a tiny bit, but went back to his irritated tone after he realized his surprise. She was brought down and she came up to me almost squealing at the sudden accomplishment. I giggled, "I told you that you could do it!" I whispered and she nodded, 'thank you' she mouthed before Shadis called up for me. "Okay, Wood, will you do as good as your girl friend or will you piss me off?" Shadis said, bored of the amount of times he'd to see people fall. My face felt heated after him saying 'girlfriend' even though I knew I could never see her in that way. A sight crept my throat and the belt was strapped onto me. I acted out small variations of struggle, so it didn't seem like I was experienced. However as I came up my body stood rigid, as to not get hurt. A throaty chuckle left my mouth, and I saw Shadis' face grow into a slight smirk. 

As my body was brought down, I walked over to the instructor. "I am assuming you're not pissed." I retort with a smirk creeping as well. "Don't get your hopes to high, kid." He vaguely said before dismissing me.  
-  
The students that passed the test were getting their 3dm gear assigned, and the students that failed had bandages covering their faces and had been assigned to practice again tomorrow. Petra was one to pass the tests, so the three of us joined each other to get our gear. "Petra, you did so good! It didn't even seem like you were nervous!" Roise exclaimed at the red-haired girl. "Don't talk about me when you went up so flawless!" Petra's hands played as if it was no big deal. I giggled as the two complimented each other. "No, but when Anna stumbled at the start I was so worried and then she just went up like it was nothing!" Roise raised her arms up with such surprise. "Yeah, I was really nervous when I was about to gone." I lied but giggled right after.  
-  
After the gear was brought to us, we went to get changed into cleaner clothes to come eat dinner. 

The same old bread and soup was consumed with mild chattering, but a lot of groaning today. Though there weren't too many people that were injured, many of the groans were heavy from the falling or tripping. 

My heart went out to them because I couldn't imagine the true pain they felt. Falling from such a height must have hurt like a bitch. "Say, Anna, you've never told me about your life before joining the enlistment." Petra tilted her head slightly to look into my direction. I choked mildly on the bland soup before saying anything, "huh?" That was most definitely a bad way to start this conversation. "I'm saying you've never told us about your childhood or anything." Petra saying again, she didn't seem to bothered by the sudden irk in my throat. "Umm, I don't know it just isn't that interesting I guess." I tried to keep my cool and answering what I thought anybody would say. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense." She twitched her lips to the side in realization. "Anyways, I'm pretty sure we get to practice on the wooden titans tomorrow. Seems pretty dumb, but I'm guessing that was all they could afford." Roise rested her hand on her jaw.   
-  
My mind was filled with the feeling of nothingness. It hadn't felt like that since I was young, living in the small shed we called home in the underground. I hoped that all that talking to my sister was real, and not some stupid dream. Maybe I was stupid for believing that I could ever see my sister in another 'dimension' is that what it would be called? I didn't even know; all of this happened so quickly it didn't leave my brain time to comprehend. 

What if I'm just losing it. Maybe all of my thoughts have somehow meshed into this stupid scenario. 

My chest aches at the rapid breathing, but my mind was still so focused on Anarah. 

"Ummh, Annalise are you okay?" Roise whispered bringing me back to reality. "Yeah, I'm fine..." "are you sure?" She sat up from her bed. "Yup" I popped the p. "Alright, goodnight then." She rested her head back onto the pillow. 

However, my mood grew sad after realizing that if this were true then I couldn't speak to Anarah because of how much energy it already took her to bring me into that fantasy land.   
-  
"I need the losers and the try-hands to separate into groups!" Shadis yelled so the crowd was able to hear, or maybe that was just the way he talked. He looked towards the group with the "try-hards" and shifted his eyes to each person. "I had already instructed that you brought your gear to the grounds before practice, so if you don't have it then I'll give you 100 laps!" He bellowed. We all ran into our positions making sure the belts were held properly on our bodies. They're just wooden titans. Nothing to be scared of. I tried to cheer in my own head. "This will be easy." I murmur catching the attention of Roise, "How do you stay so confident, Annalise?" "Eh?" "Well, you just never look scared. I have a feeling that maybe if we were to fight titans you'd just face them head-on with no consequences. But I mean of course that's my own opinion." She shrugged her shoulders and scrunched her nose. I giggled at how she could see me in such a view. "But I think you're strong too. I mean we've only been doing. This for like three days, but I have a feeling you'll be one of the greatest soldiers." Her eyes grew at my words while my face stayed in its, now common, smile.   
-  
A group of five went up into the air, hooking onto each tree carefully and swinging at the make-shift titans. Many, of course, failed on their first times because of the foreign height. However as the day progressed; each person would hit at least one titan before going to their cabin. I huffed before starting and I was worried that I'd hit a branch. What if I fall? That would most definitely be the end of me.   
"You're gonna be fine!" 

It was her voice. It was Anarah. I believed in my little sister's words, and hooked the hooks onto the big tree. "Come on, Annalise, you can do it!" Rosie's voice was heard from the dirt. I took a deep breath and found myself fly into the lush of the forest. 

The beginning was fairly easy, though it was higher than the area in the underground. There as more of a risk of falling, but my eyes darted onto the trunks. One wooden titan jumped out from one of them, and my body leaned into an angle where the swords exposed the wooden nape. 

A large chunk fell to the ground making me shudder. "Aw, fuck." I whispered under my breath, but kept my eyes on the next few trunks. At the left another square-like head popped out. Again my body flew into an angle where the swords deeply cut the wood. 

A few more 'titans' were left before the dirt ground showed again. Memories flooded my mind. Rope was tightening its grip on my hands, eyes were filled with tears, and my legs traveled barefoot through the grounds of the forest. I was nineteen, even though I looked younger than twelve. It was only when I lived next to Carla that I grew a little more. My ribs started to be less visible, finally, and my eyes were coming back to life. I low chuckle escaped my throat and one last titan showed before I saw the sun clearly. My feet didn't land perfectly, and instead my knee stopped the fall. Sweat glazed the top of my forehead and neck. 

"How many did you take down, Wood?" Shadis looked down onto the dirt. "Uh, I think I took all of them." I dusted of the mud from my pants. He scoffed in response, "What? I'm only telling the truth." I looked up confused. "That's impossible, the majority of students have taken down one or two. How could you get down five?" His features looked almost mad that I'd gotten more than the others. "Oh... I'm sorry.. I guess." My lips creased downward. He told me to go back to where the others were sparring. I looked for a sparring partner, "Annalise, sorry, cadet Wood!" Petra's sweet voice called behind me. "Cadet Ral! Do you have a partner?" I waved at the red-head. "No, do you want to be mine?" She asked coming closer. 

"Sure." We both came into our positions, and Petra threw the first punch. My face barely dodged the force. I threw a leg over her left knee, which made her fall give me more control. However she was quick enough to grip my thigh my flip me onto the ground. Wind was knocked out of my lungs, and my lungs longed for oxygen. Both her hands pinned down my wrists and she breathed out harshly. "Wow, that was a smart move." She looked to the side for a second. My hands rubbed against each grain of mud, making my wrists experience a sharp pain. She lost her balance, and before she could fall. I pushed her into the ground. She coughed out for air and I took my chance to strap my legs against her waist. "You should know how to not let your guard down, cadet." She stifled a laugh as I straddled over her, and tried to gain control over her hands, "I won't give up you know?" She smirked up. "Oh, really? I guess I'll have to count them." I started counting from ten, hoping that she wouldn't resist. Her left hand slipped from my grasp, and a punch was sent to my jaw. "Ah, fuck!" I put a finger up to my jaw, flexing at the chin. "Oof, that one's gonna leave a bruise." Petra squinted her eyes at the new purple mark that grazed my skin. "Sorry, I should have not went so hard." She pitied "No, it's okay. I mean we are supposed to fight like soldiers, so this is the least of my worries." I assured her. 

That fight must have lasted longer than I'd expected because before Petra could say anything Commander Shadis told us that today's session was over.   
-

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly I imagine Aurora to be about 20 in the ‘present’ time and Anarah to be about 16 years old.


End file.
